The IAA One Minute Blog

Sick employees are a major contributor to the spread of foodborne illnesses at restaurants and other food establishments, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

New Report on Workers and Foodborne Illness

The report found that from 2017 to 2019, around 40 percent of foodborne illness outbreaks with known causes were at least partly associated with food contamination by a sick or infectious worker.

Norovirus, a stomach bug, was the most common pathogen involved in foodborne illness outbreaks at U.S. restaurants during the years studied, according to the report. It accounted for 47 percent of the 800 outbreaks that the CDC identified. Salmonella accounted for nearly 19 percent.

While most restaurants have at least some guidelines for sick workers, the report found that the policies are often incomplete.

The study was published in the CDC’s “Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.”

Food Safety

Make sure you are handling your family’s food safely:

1. Clean: Wash your hands and surfaces often. Germs that can cause food poisoning can survive in many places and spread around your kitchen.
2. Separate: Don’t cross contaminate.
3. Cook to the right temperature: Food is safely cooked when the internal temperature gets high enough to kill the germs that can make you sick.
4. Chill: Refrigerate promptly. Bacteria can multiply rapidly if left at room temperature or in the “danger zone” between 40°F and 140°F.

Foodborne diseases cause around 48 million illnesses and 3,000 deaths in the United States each year.

What IAA has to Say

Insurance Administrator of America wants you to have fun cooking for all those barbeques this summer, but make sure to keep the food safe! IAA is here to remind you that it is not just about what you eat, how it is prepared can also affect your health.